Alcohol and Drugs News on the Internet

Entries for August 2013

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta’s announcement last week that he now supports medical marijuana has sparked a debate among drug policy experts. He wrote an online piece, “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed,” which promoted his documentary, “Weed,” that ran on CNN Sunday night.

Federal officials are investigating the use of antipsychotic drugs in children enrolled in Medicaid. The Wall Street Journal reports the probe was sparked by concerns the drugs are being prescribed too often to treat behavior problems in very young children.

For four years of high school, most adults were against teen drinking. They would ground us, punish us, deactivate our cell phones and take away our car keys if they suspected kids were drinking. But after graduation, the adults I know now tell me that drinking is important for the “college experience,” observes one incoming college freshman.

Emergency rooms reported a 300 percent jump in visits related to stimulant abuse among young adults from 2005 to 2011. According to The New York Times, 23,000 people ages 18 to 34 visited the ER in 2011 after taking drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin.

Wal-Mart is taking steps to significantly boost alcohol sales, Bloomberg News reports. The company is devoting more shelf space to alcohol, offering discounts on beer and doubling the number of company alcohol buyers.

Rural areas are seeing a surge in heroin use, The Wall Street Journal reports. The rise comes as Mexican heroin production has increased in recent years, and as people addicted to prescription painkillers switch to heroin, which is cheaper.